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 ed to Kill" is possibly the most infamous
Hong Kong Category III film of all, and is a journey to the darkest,
sleaziest recesses of exploitation cinema. Even compared to its deranged
peers, it stands alone as a foul monument to depravity, and anyone reading
this review who has a less than an iron cast stomach should stop reading
right now. In the genre's neverending search for new sources of outrage,
it was up to Billy Tang, one of the genre's favorite sons (responsible for
"Daughter of Darkness" and "Dr. Lamb" amongst others) to
plumb new depths by making a film about a psychotic, necrophiliac
rapist/serial killer who stalks his prey in a home for the handicapped.
Honestly, it's pretty hard to
imagine a more morally repugnant film than one which features multiple
scenes of a cackling pantomime psycho raping, killing, and then raping
post mortem a series of scantily clad, mentally handicapped women.
However, and I'll quite possibly be crucified for even suggesting this,
but "Red to Kill" is saved from being the utter atrocity that it
appears to be on paper by actually being quite funny. Seriously, this film
is too absurd to be taken seriously, and even given the dubious content,
is so single minded in its heaping on of abuse that the viewer is soon
bludgeoned into numbness, whereupon the whole thing becomes quite amusing
in a Grand Guignol sort of way.
The film's heroine is Ming Ming (Lily Chung, who also
suffered through "Daughter of Darkness"), a mildly retarded girl
who is sent to live in a care home after the death of her father.
Unfortunately for her, women in the home are being stalked and killed by a
mysterious madman who is in fact Doctor Chan (Ben Ng, "Eternal
Evil of Asia"). The doctor is outwardly a normal, kind man who
dotes on his patients; however, as a result of a bloody childhood trauma,
whenever he sees the colour red he flips out in the worst possible way. After witnessing Ming Ming perform a ballet recital
in a red dress, Chan becomes obsessed with her, at first assaulting her,
and then rather oddly deciding that he wants to settle down and start a
family with her. A brave social worker fights for justice, but the courts
are fooled by the evil rapist, who is freed to pursue poor Ming Ming one
final time.
After reading the above, I'm sure that "Red to
Kill" seems like the devil incarnate. However, Billy Tang lays
everything on so thick that it almost becomes an exercise in surrealistic,
comedic evil. Pretty much every aspect of the film is unbelievably over
the top, from the shrieking music to the gaudy neon colours that bathe
almost every frame. If nothing else, it all speeds by in a lurid blur, and
the viewer is barely given a chance to draw breath before the next horror
splatters up onto the screen.
This is of course a cheap tactic, beloved of many an
exploitation filmmaker, though here it serves its purpose nicely. The
viewer is subjected to an absolute barrage of nudity, abuse and violence,
and although all of it is incredibly dubious, it's simply so deranged and
applied in such a lunatic, haphazard fashion that it rapidly comes to
resemble more of a lampoon than anything else. Granted, there is a great
deal of nudity, gore, and some incredibly offensive scenes (including the
most unpleasant shower sequence in film history), so this comment probably
only applies to those who like their comedy beyond pitch black.
The acting in the film doesn't exactly help the
viewer to take things more seriously. Lily Chung gives an unrealistic
performance as wretched Ming Ming, and while it's easy to feel sorry for
her, this is due to the abuse her character takes rather than any real
empathy. Ben Ng is hilarious as the killer -- normal one second, then
grimacing and bellowing with laughter as soon as he sees the colour red.
Really, the viewer can't help but wonder how the hell this guy has managed
to not only function as a member of society, but to become a respected
doctor. Did he somehow manage to avoid seeing the colour red for a large
proportion of his life?
The complete disregard for creating a realistic
villain helps sever the film's ties with reality and pushes it yet further
into the realm of demented comedy. So, what's the bottom line? Well, I
must admit to enjoying "Red to Kill", though it's certainly not
a film I would recommend to everyone. It really all depends on how
seriously you take the ludicrous and extreme content, and while I can
obviously understand how the mere nature of the film may well put off 90%
of viewers, the 10% who can leave their moral sensibilities at the door
will probably be very entertained, or will at least bear witness to just
how low a film can go.
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